El marc polític d'Austràlia

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

Governor General: Samantha MOSTYN (since 1 July 2024)
Prime Minister: Anthony ALBANESE (since 23 May 2022) - Australian Labour Party
King (Commonwealth): King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022)

Next Election Dates

Senate: May 2025
House of Representatives: May 2025

Current Political Context

The centre-left Labour government under PM Anthony Albanese has 103 of 227 seats in parliament, a slim majority (51.7%) in the House of Reps and 32.9% in the Senate. The government’s policy priorities are social welfare programs, cost of living measures, climate change, green energy and new industries (e.g. the Future Made in Australia plan). On 26 March 2024, violence in Alice Springs saw Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler declare a state of emergency and impose a two-week curfew on people under 18. The federal election will be held in May 2025 to select members of the 48th Parliament of Australia, so that the first part of the year is expected to be characterized by the election campaign, with the rising cost of living being the main long-standing issue for voters.
Concerning foreign and defence matters, there has been a significant shift in Australia’s policy in recent years, the biggest being the signing of the AUKUS military agreement with the US and UK. While the security agreement is about countering Chinese expansion in the Indo-Pacific and building on the informal military and diplomatic cooperation between the U.S., India, Japan and Australia (under QUAD), Australian statecraft is more about being a new kind of ally rather than blocking China which is a key economic partner.

Main Political Parties

Three parties dominate the political life:
- The Australian Labour Party: social democrat, centre-left
- The Liberal Party: conservative, centre-right, neoliberal
- The National Party of Australia (former Country Party): conservative, centre-right, mostly represents rural interests, in a coalition with the Liberal Party.

The Greens, the Katter's Australian Party (KAP), the Centre Alliance (CA) and Independent members are also represented in the parliament.

Executive Power

Australia is an independent nation that belongs to the Commonwealth, and recognises the British Monarch as its sovereign. As such, King Charles III is the Head of State. He is represented in Australia by a Governor General who has a symbolic function (they are appointed by her on the recommendation of the Prime Minister). The Prime Minister is the Head of the Government. The Prime Minister runs state business and appoints the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party that wins the majority of seats in the House of Representatives at the General Election.

Legislative Power

The parliament is bicameral and composed of the Senate with 76 members and the House of Representatives with 151 members. Senators are elected for a six-year term, with half of the membership being renewed every three years. Members of the House of Representatives serve terms of up to three years. By Westminster convention, the decision as to the date on which an election is to take place is that of the Prime Minister, who 'advises' the Governor-General to set the process in motion by dissolving the House of Representatives (if it has not expired) and then issuing writs for election. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are responsible for parliament, of which they must be elected members.

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

World Rank:

25/180

Indicator of Political Freedom

Ranking:

Free

Political Freedom:

1/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House